facebook

I was researching a little today about the laws and what not regarding a client taking photographs and using them on their Facebook page. ElementalUk is a Water Sports Adventure Centre in Cornwall and they've a nice shiny new facebook page.

So I was curious what the law had to say regarding these guys taking pics of everyone enjoying themselves on the beach and then uploading to facebook. I mean they want to show the World how cool a place it is right?

After some deliberation and much chat it was Rachel Clarke on Twitter, who was really helpful in helping me understand the laws and guidelines for taking pictures and using them on a facebook page.

So thanks Rachel.

After studying a few resources such as the one here, it seems that as the beach is a public place it is legal to be able to take photographs providing they are not for commercial use - which in this case they are not as they will not be "DIRECTLY" making money from the photographs.

A nice Friday win for the guys.

So, of late I've not written much here, but today was one of those days when something led to something which inspired a few words, and here they are.

If you've been away from Facebook for a while and recently come back you'll notice some big changes have taken place, mainly the platform now focuses on "updates", i.e. close to real-time friend action (hmm that sounds odd)..

Anyway, the "news feed" on your Facebook homepage will now contain a stream of updates from your friends. Now, some of us "Internet Workers" use these tools for pleasure AND business, and to be frank, we often integrate them into one singular input point. As an example I also use Twitter and when I "tweet", that also appears in my Facebook status. I'm the type of user that does things "proper" so if I am working hard on something you'll not hear a peep out of me, but if I am in need of answers, or talking with people or something else like pissed-off annoyed or being loud, you'll know about it in twitter or facebook.

So recently this has led (since the Facebook update) to a few friends complaining, you know too much noise, "stop talking" - "I'm going to remove you" blah blah... WELL - there is a solution.

1. De-friend me, I won't be offended
2. Be clever and learn your tool

You may not know this but you can filter out noise in Facebook very easily, simply by creating "sets" of friends, yes folks, it really is that easy.

As an example I have a feeds such as:

• News Feed (everyone)
• SAE (big client, LOTS of people)
• Family
• The Insane
• Sexy Booty (for giggles)
• General Clients
• Need To Research (who are you?)

So you see, just switch on the stuff you want... it's not hard.



Creating a feed is easy, hit "create", and add us noisy people to it.. or not..

Have fun.

Things move rapidly in the big ole Internet and over this bank holiday weekend I checked out Facebook "pages" again and launched the Social Media Mafia "fan" page.

But we have the FB Group, don't we?

Yes, there is a Facebook group which we have used to date to recruit interested parties, but I've noticed that FB pages provide far more useful features, namely:

Facebook Statistics

180 page views on the first day is not mind-blowing by any stretch of the imagination but at least I know how many, as well as other countable features.

Export Facebook Statistics

Pretty neat, handy for dumping into some of your other data.

Facebook Social Advertisement

Note, you'll see another advert I used in the passed right after they launched the service, not a good click-thru rate, but the ad was merely text, and a bad one too.

(very handy for future events, and pulling new people in, don't you think?).

Facebook Targeting

This is an excellent feature, something many of us have used on other platforms for years. As an example for a Social Media Mafia event in Italy only why would I want to send an update to people in China?

Lastly of course this page is public and not stuck behind a "walled garden".

There are other bits 'n' bobs about Facebook Pages which make sense, though with this small example you can see the benefits are numerous and make the FB Group redundant on many levels.

So, now you should pop on over and become a fan right?

Today the BBC reports Identity 'at risk' on Facebook yeah and that's news?

I hang out on Twitter a lot and it always amazes me how there is such a band wagon "fashion" approach to some of this technology, you know a real sheep follow concept going on.

People have been flabbergasted that GASP you could have details stolen on the internet, OMG shock bloody horror, that is such HUUUUUGE news!

Reality check.

To quote: "Anyone with a basic understanding of web programming can write an application." Uhh duh, so that's not happened in the previous 18 years or so of the public Internet? - It's rife!

Seriously though, phising and various other methods of data-mining have existed forever, where there is data available on the Internet a hacker will always try to retrieve it, that's the job description, am I one? No, I'm not, but I've understood that since day 1, it's so obvious it hurts, is it just me?

I've heard people talking of closing accounts, never using FB again not doing this not doing that, goodness me it's barfable really.

Two key things here:

1. Never put your DOB online
2. Never put YOU information online (I mean official YOU stuff, address, financial stuff)

It's quite simple, if you put personal data online, you can expect to be targeted no matter what the platform, if you put your trust in an online platform you are a fool, they are all crackable.

I'll be continuing to use FB and the Internet, I'll just tread with caution as I always have, and if I were you I would not follow "fashion", that's silly. Do we need a nanny do guide us through these treacherous waters? No, we just need not be fashion victims and be self-responsible, and in most spheres in mind, if you follow fashion you are blind.

Rant over.

P.S. this is not targeted at anyone in particular, just generalised.

Facebook chat will aid in the reduction of publishing on the platform: Discuss

So Facebook rolls out a chat application this morning, I log in to find a list of "online friends" ready as potential victims for me to pounce on for synchronous chat!

I don't know about you, but I do like live chat, I mean hell I've used it as a business platform for about 8 years, chatting with clients and students all over the world, it's always been my office. I remember using Yahoo! extensively with students for 4 years, as our "virtual classroom", and even added away messages like "this is my office knock first", or "I'm in the garden making fireworks", poor attempts and installing a sense of go away I am busy right now.

So I'm comfortable with chat.

Already today I chatted with Jeff, Maz, Daniel, Ben, Matthias, kfir, CJ,

I do prefer though the time one has in email, the reflection time, to ponder and to measure, chat removes that and of course demands immediate attention.

Regardless of how you feel about chat itself, do you think it might actually decrease the amount of publishing on the platform itself? If you can instantly contact and ask a friend something, why would you publish, notes, forums posts and various bits and bobs?

What's your thoughts?

I’ve been hearing a lot of talk recently that some people think it is hard to meet people they chat with online, in the real world, or to use the correct term Face To face (f2f).

I disagree with this, providing you are yourself online and offline and make no disernable distinction between the two, if you do this may not work.

Here are some ways you can in fact get off your arse and meet people.

1. Join the Social Media Mafia, it has a presence in three places currently:

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Website (you can’t sign up yet)

2. Using a social network create an event, a local event close to you and invite a handful of your online friends, if they live an extra long way away make the effort and travel an hour or so on the train, it will be worth it.
3. If you do not have friends in your social network who are local, search for them, actively seek out people in your geo area and make them friends.
4. When creating your event give it a theme, give it something everyone can relate to, a commonality if you will.
5. Document your event with blogs and pictures turn it into a “club”

Ok, so not everyone is a doer or a leader to organise such things, but if you are not that way inclined have a look around at some of the online tools, Upcoming is a great one for starters.

Break your comfort zone, everyone is a little shy, but by being that little bit bolder you will reap dividends and make lots of new friends, I know I have.

I used to be so shy.